No Broken Hearts for Older Marathoners

You've probably heard people talking about how old runners just keel over and die? Well, maybe you haven't, but I have. There is almost a gleefulness by the person proclaiming this-- look here, they are implying, all this strenuous running after a certain age is not healthy for you, in fact, better that you just take up residence on your couch and settle for the weekly (hospital shuttle) runs between here and the cardiac recovery unit in Victoria (or wherever).

Well, sorry, hate to be a toldjaso kind of person, but they just completed a study of older runners (average age of 50, oldest runner in the study= 72) in Sweden that showed after the 2006 and 2007 Berlin Marathon there were some transient changes to the heart experienced by a few of the 167 runners in the study, but no lasting damage.

Doctors examined the runners 10 days before, just after completing the race, and two weeks later. As you would expect, their heart rate jumped considerably just after the race (from an average 62 bpm before to 88 bpm average just after the race). Although more than half the runners tested for increased levels of troponin T and/or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuetic peptide (both markers of heart damage) right after crossing the finish line, just two weeks later these key parameters were back in place with normal levels. The most likely reason for the transient damage was probably dehydration-- a big problem for most marathon runners, regardless of age. Us older runners, particularly, have to make a big effort to stop at all the water stations along the route-- cool runners, that is what we need to be-- recognizing that good pure water keeps us hydrated and keeps our engine from over-heating and-- heaven forbid-- blowing up.

In the meantime, please pass the H2O cuz I got me some running to do... _______________________________________

Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional. Study cited from write up August 31 in www.WebMD.com. The photo above shows me in the June 2010 1/2 Marathon at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.